Citadel Hockey Club

Bulldogs Defeat 49ers

The Citadel Ice Hockey Team added a BRHC conference win by defeating UNC Charlotte at the Carolina Ice Palace Friday night. A hot third line which included players Alex Grimes, Justin Menor, David Warren and Zach Burgy scored key goals early which prevented UNC Charlotte from getting in the game. Senior Goalie Marc Emond played a solid game in net and kept the Bulldogs in the lead the entire game. His stellar play in the third period kept the Forty Niners from mounting any kind of comeback. The Bulldogs move to a 2-1-0 conference record.

4th Place For Bulldogs in Charlotte

The Citadel Ice Hockey Team placed 4th in the Charlotte Shootout this past weekend. With wins over Florida State and NC State and a loss to Appalachian State the Bulldogs were second seed in their division and played other 2nd seed Middle Tennessee State on Sunday for 3rd place. The Bulldogs came on strong late but were unable to overcome the MTSU lead, final score 9 to 5. The team will travel to play Clemson this next weekend.

Bulldogs Fall to Florida Atlantic

The Citadel Bulldogs faced the highly ranked Florida Atlantic team at the Space Coast Iceplex on Saturday night. FAU came out quick and scored often to put the Bulldogs back on their heels. The Citadel team did however seem to skate with FAU during the last 2 periods and the team came together to make it a game. Many positives came out of the loss, the line of Powanda, Barton and Winton were at times making the FAU defense look confused and bewildered. The Dougherty, Spysinski and Warner line also put in several great shifts in the last period. As always The Citadel defense played great and showed it can play with any team. The Bulldogs are off this weekend and then travel to Charlotte for The Charlotte Shootout starting October 31st.

Citadel Spoils F.I.T. Homecoming

The Citadel Bulldogs spanked the F.I.T. Panthers in front a hostile crowd at the Space Coast Iceplex Friday night. Alex Winton started off the scoring in the first period and the Bulldogs never looked back and for the most part were able to silence the crowd of obnoxious Florida Tech. athletic supporters. Other scorers included Barton, Brooks and Phil Warner. Warner was hit from behind after his goal and it resulted in a major penalty to the F.I.T. skater. Final score Bulldogs 4, F.I.T. 1.

Bulldogs Open Season

The Citadel Bulldogs opened their season this weekend with two home games against the Appalachian State Mountaineers at The Carolina Ice Palace in N. Charleston.

In Friday nights game, the Bulldogs, sporting their new look white helmets, star shells and new jerseys came out hot looking and hot scoring in the first period. Alex Winton opened things for The Citadel with a beautiful unassisted slap shot from the top of the circle. Justin Menor added a goal in the first period, after one 2-0. The second period saw the Bulldogs once again continue their scoring prowess adding 3 goals, two by Winton and one by freshmen Steve Barton.

Roster Set For Bulldogs

After a very successful tryout the roster for the Citadel Hockey Club has been finalized at 18 players. With the addition of 6 freshmen and 3 upperclassmen who did not play last year, the roster inches closer to the maximum of 20 players.

New assistant coaches Don Callow and Randy Bauer put the Bulldogs through a rigorous warm-up and a leg melting tryout scrimmage.

The first official practice for the Cadets will take place next Wednesday at 1730 hours. Congratulations to all players that made the team. Please see the roster page for details.

Charlotte Shootout Schedule Announced

The Carolina Hockey Tournament which will take place in Charlotte, NC on Halloween weekend has announced the schedule. The Citadel will play UNCC on Friday and Florida Tech and Middle Tennessee State on Saturday. Sunday will see the top teams battle for the championship.

Georgia Teams Added to Schedule

The Citadel Hockey Team will travel to Atlanta, GA on January 9th and 10th, 2009 to play the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia Tech. Yellow Jackets. "I was approached by Coach Hoos of Georgia asking if we would like to try to work some games in" said Coach Spooner. "It worked out where we could play both Georgia teams in the same weekend. I wanted to renew the rivalry between The Citadel and these teams" he added. Some players will have to return from winter break a couple of days early to make the games.

Carolina Tournament Schedule Announced

Are You Ready For Some Hockey!

An informational meeting for all players interested in playing for the Bulldogs will take place next week. Wednesday, September 17th at 6:30 PM in Deas Hall room 214. All prospective player should be prepared to spend at least 1.5 hours for the meeting and preparing paperwork. If you cannot attend but still want to play please email Coach Spooner

Jersey To Be Auctioned For Charity

The Citadel Bulldogs Ice Hockey Club will be auctioning off a special jersey to benefit The American Legion Scholarship Fund. This fund provides scholarships for dependents of active duty military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. This special 3rd jersey will be worn for the first time in The Citadel VS VMI Charity game on December 6th in Wake Forest, NC. 100% of the money received for this jersey will be donated to The American Legion. Place your bid Here.

Game Raises Over $5000

The Citadel Hockey Club helped to raise $5,614.68 for the American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund in a charity game against V.M.I. this past weekend. $405 was raised by cadets through a special auction of a Citadel Hockey jersey.

A special thanks goes out to the Rev. Philip Taylor of Raleigh, NC who's leadership helped make all of this possible. A big thanks also goes out to the Alumni Associations of both schools for their hard work.

Citadel Defeated by VMI

Charleston, SC-- The Citadel Bulldogs took on the V.M.I. Keydets for a two game series this past weekend. Friday night at The CIP in Charleston in front of a crowd of several hundred roudy cadets, the Bulldogs came out strong. The first two periods were dominated by The Citadel with a strong forecheck and they appeared to have put the game away with a commanding score of 5 to 2 after the 2nd period. The ice cut between periods seemed to turn the tide of the game and the VMI Keydets came out hot in the third and tied the game with about 5 minutes to go. It took a 5 minute overtime which saw a goal scored by the Citadel called back by the net being off (questionable) and a shootout for VMI to complete the comeback win. Questionable calls by the referee had The Citadel kill off 5, 5 on 3 powerplays by VMI. The Bulldogs did not receive any 5 on 3 power plays. Saturday both teams headed up I-95 to Wake Forest, NC for the big charity game benefiting the A.L.L.S.F. In one of the coldest rinks in the Southeast and with lots of Citadel and VMI supporters in attendance the first period was a defensive one with no goals being scored by either team. The second period VMI scored early and they took the momentun. The hard forecheck by the Bulldogs the night before was gone and the Keydets scored 5 un-answered goals for a 5 to 0 score at the end of 2 periods. The third period was another defensive one and neither team could put up a point. Final score 5 to 0 VMI. The big winner however was charity!

Bulldogs Poised to Make Playoff Run

The Citadel Bulldogs start their run to the playoffs this weekend with two games against the N.C. State Wolfpack. The following week The Citadel takes on U.N.C. Wilmington for a pair of games. This next two weeks will determine if The Citadel will get to travel to Greenville, N.C. for the B.R.H.C. playoffs. "We have been playing a lot of higher ranked teams and I feel like that has prepared us for these next two weeks" said Coach Spooner. "My guys are hungry for a win and we should have almost everyone on our roster ready to play" he added. The Bulldogs are 1-1 in conference play.

Bulldogs 1 and 1 in Raleigh

The Citadel Bulldogs Hockey team traveled to Raleigh, NC to take on the NC State Wolfpack this weekend. Friday night saw the Bulldogs come out hitting and The Citadel was able to put up a 3 to 1 lead going into the third period. With 5 minutes to go in the game and NC State trailing by 2, the Wolfpack started a comeback. An unintended deflection off one of their players started the rally. Still trailing by 1 with less than a minute to go, NC State pulled their goalie and were able to score to tie up the game. In overtime NC State rushed the puck right off of the center ice drop and were able to score the game winner.

In Saturday night's game The Bulldogs came out strong from the opening drop and the game was never in doubt as The Citadel had their backs against the wall. At no point in the game did NC State even come close to mounting any type of comeback. With goals by Powanda, Spysinski and a hat trick by Sophomore Alex Winton the Bulldogs left Raleigh on a positive note. Final score 6 to 2. This weekend the conference games continue with two games against UNCW

The Citadel Makes the Playoffs!

At last week's practice forward Steven Barton mentioned that he thought line mate Alex Winton was having a poor practice and when he had a bad practice he always played well in the games that next weekend. Steven Barton hit the nail on the head as Alex Winton and the 'Conehead Line' helped dismantle UNC Charlotte to give the Bulldogs a playoff spot. Winton had a season high 6 points with 4 goals and 2 assist and his line mates Steven Barton and Drew Powanda who make up the rest of the 'Coneheads' added a goal each to the final score of 8 to 2. Goaltender Marc Emond had another solid game in goal. 'It was a solid effort by the entire team in our most important game of the year so far' said Coach Spooner. 'My guys knew we had to win to make it to the playoffs and they definitely responded. We have been so close in so many games this year and could not pull it out, this win shows we can respond to pressure and win' he added.

The Bulldogs host Florida Tech for two games this weekend and then it is off to Greenville, NC for the playoffs the following weekend.

Bulldogs Runner-Up in Championship!

The Citadel Hockey Club has a reputation of playing their hearts out no matter what the situation or the odds. This past weekend the Bulldogs went into battle in the B.R.H.C. playoffs. The Citadel defeated U.N.C. Charlotte on Friday night and then took out regular season champ U.N.C. Wilmington on Saturday to make in to the championship game. After a battle down to the wire, the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams defeated The Bulldogs 2 to 1. The game went right down to the last minute and The Citadel left everything on the ice but they could not pull off the win. Final score was 2 to 1. It was a total team effort with everyone giving 110%.

Decision Time

With the coming of spring also come the decisions from high school seniors about where they will attend school in the fall. Three new players have made it known that they will be in the class of 2013. Mark Briden from Batavia, IL plans to join the military after graduation "I feel the education and experience at The Citadel will prepare me for the military and life." Brian Taptick another up and coming freshmen from Middletown, Ct will also seek a career in the military after graduation and wants the "discipline and mental toughness" it takes to suvive knob year. Robert Maguire from Amherst, NH likes the "mix of civilian and military" at the school. Those who lead must set the example, and these new players will join teammates who came to The Citadel with the same goals and aspirations.

Check our website over the summer to meet these new players up close and personal.

Team Elects Captains

The Citadel Hockey Team elected team captains at a special spring meeting last night. Drew Blazier from Phoenix, AZ will wear the 'C' as captain for the 2009-2010 season. Phil Warner from Colchester, VT and Alex Winton from Simpsonville, SC will wear the 'A'. 'I think the team made some great choices for captains, these guys show leadership on and off the ice' commented Coach Spooner.

Canturbury Goalie to Attend Citadel

Brian Taptick, a 6' tall goaltender from Middletown, CT will be attending The Citadel next season. He has been playing travel hockey since he was 9 and started playing AAA hockey at age 12. Brian was one of 3 Summer Sophomore MVP's at the 2005 Hockey Night in Boston Summer Showcase Tournament. He attended High School at Canterbury School and played 4 years on the varsity team. Also, at Canterbury he made the All-Tournament Team at the 2007-2008 E.G. Watkins Christmas Tournament at Cushing Academy. In High School Brian also ran cross country and was captain of team for two years, rowed crew, and played baseball.

Brian chose The Citadel because he was interested in attending a southern school, and to pursue a career in the Army.

2nd Annual Military Classic

The date has been announced for the second annual Military Classic Tournament. The game between V.M.I. and The Citadel will take place at the Polar Ice House in Wake Forest, NC on December 5th, 2009. Last year the tournament raised over $6000 for The American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund.

The Citadel will travel to Lynchburg, VA to take on the Keydets on their home ice the day before, on December 4th. The Bulldogs will then travel to Wake Forest for Saturday night's game.

Briden Will Play For The Bulldogs

Mark Briden, a 6�2� forward from Batavia, IL, will be attending The Citadel in the fall. He has been playing hockey since the age of four and travel since his squirt years. He has played on Varsity all four years of high school, and was one of only three players in Batavia Hockey�s history to make it to the Chicago Showcase. He was invited to play on the IIC showcase team and played against the national champs from Russia and Latvia this spring. He was also invited to a tournament to play with the Jr. C national champs; the Huskies after his showcase team nearly defeated the Russian champs. Throughout High School Mark also played as a starting wide receiver on the football team, and a 400 meter and 800 meter track runner. Mark chose The Citadel because he plans on pursuing a career in the Marine Corps.

2009 - 2010 Season Schedule Announced

The 2009 - 2010 Citadel Ice Hockey schedule has been released. The Bulldogs will play over 20 games and travel to Lynchburg, VA, Charlotte, NC, Winston Salem, NC and Wake Forest, NC to play games. The team will also participate in The Charlotte Shootout and play for charity in The Military Classic of the South on Ice against rival VMI. The Citadel will also play a record 10 games at home including rivals UNCC and UNCW. See the official 2009 - 2010 season schedule for game times.

Hometown Athlete to Attend School

The Charleston youth hockey leagues have always produced some solid hockey players, many of which already play for the Bulldogs. With the addition of the Charleston Wolverines Junior C team in Charleston the level of hockey here has gone up a notch. It was only a matter of time before one of their players would choose to attend The Citadel. William Singletary, a 5� 10 Defensemen from Goose Creek will go to The Citadel in the fall. He will bring his speed and experience as a Junior C player and Asst. Captain for The Stratford Knights to the team.

�We are glad to get William to attend school and be able to get a great education and also help the team to continue to raise our level of play� said Coach Spooner. � I don�t think some of the players in the Charleston area realize what a great school hockey school The Citadel is� he added.

�I would like to attend The Citadel for the challenge. I would like to take the path that few take and rise to the challenges it presents.� said William. With an attitude like that he should fit in fine with the rest of the team.

New Hampshire Player Heads South

Bob Maguire, a 6� forward from Amherst, NH, will be attending The Citadel this Fall. Bobby has played hockey in both Europe and the U.S. He was a member of the U14 and U16 Belgian National Championship teams and a member of the Belgian U20 runner up team as a 16 year old. He attended High School only one year in the U.S. at Souhegan High School in Amherst where he was a forward on the NH State Championship team. Bobby also swam on the International School Sports Swim Team that won a Championship in Cairo, Egypt and was a starting lineman on the International School of Brussels Football Team that won the Northern European Conference Football Championship in 2005. Last year he attended Champlain College in Burlington Vermont, which does not have a hockey team, however he tried out for and made the Jr Glades team in Burlington. Since he had taken responsibility for paying for his first year of college himself, he found it necessary to opt out of the games but was able to practice with the team. Bobby is looking forward to attending the Citadel and playing for the Bulldogs.

Bulldogs Invited to Savannah Classic

The Citadel Ice Hockey Club has been invited to play in the Savannah Classic Tournament held in Savannah, GA in early January. The Bulldogs will take on the University of South Carolina on Thursday January 14th at the Martin Luther King Jr. Arena. This tournament regularly draws thousands of spectators to watch the action. Other participants are Florida, Florida State, Georgia and Georgia Tech.

Team Informational Meeting

The Citadel Hockey Club will be holding an informational meeting on Wednesday, September 17th at 6:30PM in Deas Hall. Tryout information will be discussed along with filling out the proper player paperwork. At least one hour will need to be allotted for this meeting. If you are unable to attend please contact one of the captains.

Citadel Gets Full Membership

By unanimous vote of the membership of the Blue Ridge Hockey Conference The Citadel was awarded full membership in the BRHC. This will allow The Citadel to have a vote in all matters concerning the BRHC. Teams must serve one year as an affiliate member before being able to be voted in as a full member. The Blue Ridge Hockey Conference is made up of 20 teams in the southeast.

Roster Set For Bulldogs

Coach Spooner announced that the roster for Bulldogs has been set after Wednesday's tryout. 20 players will take the ice for the upcoming season. Six new freshmen will add to a strong returning contingent that should give The Citadel Hockey Team a good showing in the Carolina division of the BRHC. Practices start next week with the first game being on October 10th. Go here to see the Bulldogs 2009-2010 roster.

Raffle Ticket Sales

The Citadel Hockey Club hit Johnson Hagood Stadium on Saturday to sell a few raffle tickets. Sales were brisk, the team will be selling tickets again this coming weekend.

Bulldogs Fall to Tarheels

The Citadel Hockey team opened up their season against the ACHA D2 UNC Tarheels on Saturday night. With three key players missing from the lineup the Bulldogs have would their work cut out for them. UNC opened the scoring in the first period with two goals, but the Citadel came back with goals by Sophomore Steven Barton and Junior David Spooner to tie the game. At times the Bulldogs were all over the Tarheels but could not get the puck in the net again for the rest of the game. UNC added 4 more goals in the second and third periods for a final score of 6 to 2.

Standout players included freshmen goalie Brian Taptick who saw 46 shots and freshmen Mark Briden who at times danced through the UNC defense. The Bulldogs are just getting their skating legs and had a respectable game considering the D2 competition and the missing players.

The Citadel will start their Conference season against UNC Charlotte on Parents Day.

Winton Scores 4 in OT Thriller

In what could be called a one of a kind game Junior Alex Winton put in 4 goals including the OT winner to give The Citadel it's first conference win of the season over UNCC. 23 minor penalties were called during the game which put one team or the other on the power play for most of the game. The Citadel had several power play opportunities in the final minutes and also had two penalty shots but looked like they were not going to convert. With only seconds left Winton shooting from the right face off circle beat the UNCC goalie for the game winner. The winning goal came with 18.3 seconds left in the OT.

UNCC Takes Down Bulldogs

In a reversal of Friday night's game the UNCC 49'ers came back in the third period and beat the Citadel Bulldogs 5 to 2. The Parent's Day weekend seemed to slow the Bulldogs down in the third period and Charlotte, wanting to avenge their loss the night before poured it on strong to take the win. The Bulldogs travel to Charlotte next weekend to take on The Appalachian State Mountaineers for two games.

Home Games to Be Webcast

The Citadel Hockey club will be partnering with FastHockey.com to bring you a live video and audio feed of home games. Beginning with the first home games in January parents and fans will be able to purchase tokens and watch games live and in their entirety. 'We are very excited about this new technology' said Coach Spooner. 'For about seven dollars people can catch our games anywhere they can get a broadband connection. We still need to purchase some video equipment but everything should be in place by January' he added.

Details will be made available when we get closer to January.

Refuse To Lose

After Friday night's game against the UNC Wilmington Sea-hawks, in which The Bulldogs lost 7 to 4 even after out-shooting Wilmington. Something had to give. Saturday morning the Bulldogs came out quick and there was never any doubt as to who would win this game. The Citadel pulled out a 4 to 2 win over the Sea-hawks with a solid skating effort by the entire team. With numerous injuries and Defensman Michael Brooks and forward Phil Warner missing from the lineup due to military obligations, everyone brought their 'A' game and it showed.

The Bulldogs head to the Charlotte Shootout in Indian Trail, NC next weekend.

New Video

New Jerseys Arrive!

Due to the generosity of a Citadel Alumni, The Citadel Hockey Team finally received their new jerseys. The team now has a complete set of home and away jerseys and can finally say we are one of the better dressed teams in the league.

Without our loyal supporters none of this would be possible.

In the above picture Captain Drew Blazier, Mark Briden and Robert Maguire joke around after team pictures.

Citadel Stomps USC at Savannah Classic

The Citadel came out strong on Thursday night and defeated the USC Gamecocks 6 to 3 at The Savannah Tire Hockey Classic. Making the best of an invite to this prestigious tournament the Bulldogs came out hot right from the first period puck drop. A three point night by freshmen Mark Briden propelled The Citadel to the win. See the article in The Savannah Morning news for details and photos. View the article here.

Bulldogs Win 3 in a Row

Using the momentum from the victory over USC in The Savannah Classic, The Citadel Bulldogs beat Wake Forest University in two games over the weekend. Needing both wins to have any chance to make the BRHC Playoffs the Dogs handily beat WFU on Friday night 8 to 4. Saturdays game was a little different as The Citadel watched a 4 to 0 lead evaporate in the second period. A goal by Mark Briden was the difference in the game as The Bulldogs got the win 5 to 4. The Dogs travel to Atlanta this weekend to take on Georgia Tech for two games.

Citadel Splits With Georgia Tech

Friday morning PT, riding in a car for six hours and then playing in a hockey game doesn't make a good combination. The Citadel played Georgia Tech on Friday night after traveling to Atlanta during the day on Friday. The Bulldogs came out a little slow and couldn't seem to get anything going and took the loss 4 to 2. After sleeping late and resting at the hotel on Saturday, The Citadel came out hot from the start in Saturday night's game. All three Citadel lines put in a hard effort that kept El Cid on top for the entire game. Georgia Tech put on a comeback late in the game but with two key breakaway saves, Goalie Brian Taptick helped keep The Bulldogs on top by a score of 6 to 5.

Bulldogs Tame Panthers

The Florida Tech Panthers were more like kittens as the Citadel Hockey Team rolled in for two games in warm Florida over the weekend. Scoring 18 goals and only allowing one, the Bulldogs continued their hot streak with a 10 to 1 victory on Friday and a 8 to 0 shutout win for freshmen goalie Brian Taptick. The Bulldogs take on powerful Clemson in two weeks. Check FastHockey.com for live game time feeds of all the remaining Citadel home games.

Citadel Roasts Johnson & Wales

The Citadel Bulldogs finished up their season by defeating Johnson and Wales out of Charlotte in two games. Friday nights game finished with the score being 7 to 2. Saturdays game was a little tougher as Johnson and Wales goalie Tim Pettit faced 64 shots and only let in 3. The final score was 3 to 2. Taptick and Fraser take the wins for the Citadel.

This also wraps up the BRHC conference schedule for the Bulldogs finishing up 6 and 4 with none of the losses being more than 2 goals.

We also sadly say goodbye to two seniors, Phil Warner and Justin Menor. We wish them good luck in their future after graduation from The Citadel.